Baku: The Wanderer's Tome
by Heart Sandwich
Summary: In a world where men have no aura, Jaune Arc and Lie Ren return home from the adventure of a lifetime, thirsting for a new challenge. Fortunately for them, a new adventure lies just beyond the horizon, at the prestigious huntress school; Beacon Academy.
1. A Strange Pair

**BAKU:**

The Wanderer's Tome

Chapter 1: A Strange Pair From An Even Stranger Land

Two boys walked side by side, both of them tired from their trip. They had been on an adventure of a lifetime, and in that time, they had discovered many things. Their names were Jaune Arc, and Lie Ren. Jaune Arc was a tall fellow, standing at an intimidating 6'3. But his face had seemingly betrayed him, as he had a feminine charm to him like no other. His hair was long and luxurious, the blond locks falling down to his waist. His cheeks were smooth and pronounced, and his face was not angular like that of a true man. Granted he was still in his younger years, so in his head he was only a late bloomer. Jaune wore a white and blue sleeveless hoodie, one which he had donned for years. He had blue pants on with each pant leg rolled up to his knees. The boots he wore were a dark blue, and were covered in mud and soot. The memories entrapped within this particular set of clothing was unmatched, as young Jaune had been to hell and back, ironically with only the clothes on his back to protect him.

Lie Ren was much more reserved in terms of clothing and features. He stood at a meager 5'7, and was less intimidating than the young Arc next to him. And while he did have a feminine edge like his fellow friend, there was a much more prominent masculine look to him. His jet-black hair was combed backward, with two bangs falling on each opposing side of his face, one of them being magenta for some odd reason. His attire was simple. A torn black cloak covered a green vest with gold and black outlines, and a black belt that had a peculiar gold dragon buckle. His pants were light grey, and covered the entirety of his legs, unlike Arc's. His shoes were those of the dress variety, and because of the frequent travel the unusual duo embarked on, were stained with mud and various other things.

Their travels had been long and arduous, and the journey that they had made to get back to Remnant would be one of legend if it was ever told to mortal ears, but alas, the two remained in secret about their ventures, instead opting to keep their personal dealings to themselves, not out of malice, but out of humility.

These boys were the most unlikely pair of friends the world of Remnant had ever seen, their stories being so different from one another yet somehow connected by fate. Their tired eyes told countless tales, and their weary bones sang a magnitude of solemn songs collected after years-worth of foraging for adventure. And even still, wanderlust had not made its way out of the duo, rather, it had only gotten stronger. Jaune looked over to Ren and let out a contented sigh. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?" The black-haired boy nodded solemnly at those words. "It has been. I've missed Remnant more than I'd like to admit... Even if we are normally treated badly. There's just something about this world that makes me feel alive." Ren replies, smiling brightly at the sky. The two were currently making their way down a dirt path, with only trees and a wooden fence to guide them. So far they had seen no other living creatures. No Grimm, no humans, no faunus. Not even a mouse. It was this quiet and mysterious calm that brought a sense of cheer to the boys, relaxing their senses after their tense battles waged in places far from the one they were in. Wind blew gently through their hair, sending slight shivers down their spines from its freshness. To say that Jaune and Ren had long since forgotten how such simple things like the wind could be pleasurable to the senses would be an understatement. Everything from the trees to the very clouds in the sky were almost alien to them, as they had been gone from Remnant for a long time.

"What are we to do now, Jaune? We have nothing here. Nothing but our weapons, the clothes on our backs, and each other." Ren says nervously. The blonde-haired boy laughs.

"We will survive like we always do! With each other, the clothes on our backs, and our weapons! We've done so for years Ren. What's stopping us from doing so today? Trust me when I say this; we will figure something out, and we will survive." Jaune places his hand on Ren's shoulder in an attempt to comfort the obviously worried boy. Ren does in fact perk up, his small smile returning. Jaune was right. They had always managed to survive with the help of each other, and because of this the boys were inseparable. Nothing could get between them, not even a test tantamount to fighting a god could weaken their brotherly bond. Together, they could conquer any challenge, and could overcome any obstacle. It was this very thing that enabled their survival all these years in such an unforgiving world.

Ren looked towards the dirt path he and Jaune had been diligently following for hours. There seemed to be no end or any sort of building in sight, which made Ren anxious. He wanted to rest. Sleeping on a rickety old rowboat and feeling every tide of the sea pulling at you, threatening to capsize your craft and send you plummeting to the depths was not a great way to get said rest. The blisters on his feet, bags under his eyes and sweat on his brow proved this. "Jaune, how far do you think we are from civilization?" Ren asks. Jaune sniffs and narrows his eyes at the distance ahead of them. He didn't see any houses or people. "Pretty far I'd say. We are probably going to have to sleep on the ground today. Or in a tree. Whichever one you think is better." Jaune stated. Ren sighed and looked away from his friend, eager to focus on anything but the fact that they were hopelessly lost. The young boy began to think up a way to lighten his mood, but alas, amidst the tall trees of the forest around him seemed to prevent him from doing so. Looming over him in an intimidating manner, the tall oaks boasted durability, their thick bark showing off the various scars the trees had acquired over many years of sitting in the same spot. In more ways the one, Ren had wished he was a tree. He wished to stand as tall as them, overshadowing the negativity that resided within him. He wished to be as durable as them, to be able to take anything thrown at him and walk away from it with a smile. The bruises would only be a part of the reward. Such foolish thoughts had commonly found their way into the boy's head, and each one was met with a wayward grin and a careful analysis. Being quiet most of the time allowed him to roam around in his own mind, picking it for different ideas and oddities. But trees did not do that. Trees didn't think. No, they only stood in one area, never moving. Never advancing to a new goal. The fatal flaw with the tree is its very existence, its very purpose for life to begin with. Ren shook his head. He was beginning to think far too much about trivial things that did not seem to matter. He looked over to his companion. Jaune Arc was a strange lad, stranger than he, and stranger than most of the outlandish things the duo had witnessed in all their time away from Remnant. The blonde-haired boy was ever the optimist, never letting the hardships of life knock him down, a mischievous look of mirth ever present on his features. Ren had often found hope within the glee of the boy, and held him dear to his heart. There was a certain kinship shared through untold words, a brotherly love one might say, that resided inside of the hearts of them both, strengthening their bond. Without him, Ren was sure he would amount to nothing. Arc felt the same way, of course. But his thought pattern was much less cluttered and far more simplistic than that of Ren's. He loved his friend dearly, and that was the end of it. There was nothing left in his mind to express further. Maybe this was a trait favored by Ren, as the boy hated those who overthought things even though he was guilty of doing just that.

Suddenly Jaune stopped moving and stared straight ahead. "I have a bad feeling about this road." He said suddenly. Ren grimaced and pulled out a small curved blade. It was old and rusted, but sharp enough to do serious damage to whatever it came into contact with if enough force was used. Jaune clenched his fists, preparing himself for a battle. The two boys, on their guard, walked forward. The area ahead of them was slightly different from the tall trees and wooden fences that had encroached them before. The wooden fences ahead had been torn to shreds by some type of beast, as claw marks littered the entirety of the strewn about pieces of wood. The dirt path had also received a fair share of damage as well, but it had not come from a beast. No, it had came from some sort of human made contraption, judging by the large scorch marks and old shell casings laying ahead. Ren turned a wary eye to his friend. "Should we find another way?" He asked. Jaune scratched his head, his eyes squinted. "No. It seems as though whatever altercation that transpired here has long since ended. Look. The burns on the ground are too cold to be recent." Jaune crouched down and ran a finger across the burn marks engraved in the dirt. They were cold. He looked back to Ren.

"See?" Ren walked up next to him and did the same, feeling the dirt. His partner hadn't been wrong. The scorch marks on the ground were far too cold to be recent. Ren let out a sigh of relief.

"Good. I was afraid we would have to fight off Grimm, or some scared locals." He said simply. Jaune laughed at this and placed a hand on Ren's shoulders.

"Fret not, Ren, for we are Together! Surely we can handle any challenge that dares approach us! Now especially! We are no longer mere children, my dear brother. Remember that, and have confidence in yourself!" The young boy said in a boisterous tone. Ren smiled at his friend's antics before walking forward past the marks on the ground, following the path like he had been before, with Jaune trailing not too far behind.

For what seemed like hours, the duo trekked down the old beaten path, always on guard yet relaxed somehow. Maybe, after a day or so of walking, they would find civilization, or further signs of a human or faunus presence in the surrounding areas. This is what they thought, though they did not hold too much weight to these thoughts as the sun began to set and the temperature began to drop. Through the reds and yellows of the sunset, the two boys saw something other than an endless expanse of trees; a field of flowers, wide and open, free of danger. Well, they had hoped the field was free of danger. It would be quite the day if there were Grimm relaxing in those flowers, waiting to pounce the two young ones. Jaune ran towards the field joyously, soaking in the sight of flowers with his eyes and saturating his brain with images of a better time—a time where he and Ren could rest easy within the bosoms of their mothers and the warm smiles of their fathers, and the heated embrace of a log fire in the eve of a cold winter. Such memories were far off and often left to be forgotten, but as Jaune picked up a flower, a daffodil, they had returned to him in a vigorous manner. The happy boy turned to his comrade, the flower in hand, with yet another large smile upon his face.

"Look Ren! Doesn't this remind you of home?" He asked. Ren smiled and replied with a nod. "Yes. Yes it does Jaune. The old fields of the Low End of Villard, and the sprawling urban towns of High Coill. I remember, my friend. Those were fine times that I often wish we could return to... it's almost saddening." His tone became solemn as he looked at the field of flowers in front of them. Jaune once again went to comfort his dear brother, laying a hand on his shoulder as he did times before.

"Aye. It is. I wish things were different... but here we are. Times are different and so are we. The wisdom we have achieved in our short lives can rival the most steadfast of women, and the most withered of men here. A silver lining, if I do say so myself." He says. The blonde boy drops the flower he held in his hand and looks towards the distance. The distant shape of Mount Glenn had made itself known to him. They were not far off from other people. Soon they would be able to rest, if only for a little while, before their journey must further continue.

"I can't believe we get to go on our first major mission together with you guys! Team RWBY and Team JNPR working together to kick butt and save those in need! OOOHHH! I'm so excited!" An elated girl named Ruby Rose shouted. The other girls that were with her, each of them a member of teams JNPR and RWBY respectively, both chastised her immediately for being so loud while they were on 'official huntress' duty. The group of eight had been sent to a town far off from Vale named Low End, which sat at the edge of a mini-city named Villard. The town was small and filled mostly with men, all of whom worked menial jobs ensuring steady crop production to the larger town further north, which was comically named High End. Ruby and her friends, Blake Belladona, Weiss Schnee, Yang Xiao Long (her sister, though they have different mothers), Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, Joanne Arc, and Lie Ryn, all made their way to the center of Low End, which was referred to by the male locals as 'The Hub'. Each girl was dressed in their huntress attire, Ruby Rose wore a black corset with a black combat skirt accompanied by a red scarf and black combat boots. Blake Belladona wore a white vest and long sleek black leather pants with black boots to match. She also sported a strange black bow that seemed to twitch at random intervals. Weiss Schnee was wearing a stunning white vest and combat dress, along with fancy high-heeled boots. Her hair was adorned with a diamond tiara, giving her a regal look. Yang Xiao Long had decided to be a little more... revealing, with her choice of clothing, as she wore a small brown vest that showed off her plentiful bust and midriff, and small shorts that let her legs breathe in more ways than one. She had brown boots on that fit the rest of her ensemble quite nicely, giving her a 'look but don't touch' vibe that took the breath away from many-a-man. Next was Nora Valkyrie. She wore a white vest with pink outlines and a matching combat skirt. Her boots were also white. They were also very dirty from all the walking in mud she had done hours previous. Now out of all of the girls, Pyrrha Nikos definitely had the most outlandish outfit on. From head to toe, she was protected by very high-grade spartan armor. The brilliant bronze sheen of her armor set awed many bystanders, as they head not seen anyone wear such an impractical monstrosity when something as powerful as aura was at their disposal. She was also quite famous, being a champion of the Mistral Tournaments and all. Moving on from Miss Nikos, we have the very peculiar Joanne Arc. She, unlike the rest of the group, did not have anything interesting to wear. No, she was by far the most simple-minded person in the huntress posse, with her dress consisting only of a pair of blue jeans, a black short sleeve jacket, and red sneakers. A strange one she was indeed. And last but certainly not least, we have Lie Ryn. A quiet and studious individual, her attire consisted of a dark brown vest and robe combo, with half of the robe being neatly tucked into her white pants. She also wore brown tweed sandals on her feet.

"This place is surprisingly cheery in the wake of all the disaster that's been befalling a lot of small towns outside of Vale. It's strange to say the least." Weiss Schnee said after a moment of silence. Yang glanced over to the girl and quickly agreed.

"Yeah... you'd think all these guys would be scared or something during a time like this. I dunno. Maybe they just like to stay optimistic?" Yang suggested. Weiss crossed her arms and stared at the men around them, who were busy moving various objects and talking with one another. In the distance, the telltale sounds of revelries could be heard, letting the group of huntresses know that they were heading in the right direction.

"I'm more surprised that no one has said anything about our sudden appearance here. It's like not one of the people here have noticed us." Joanne quipped as she eyed the busy townsfolk around her. Blake Belladona let out a small hum in agreement with her companion. "Joanne's got a point," She began. "Not one of the men here have pointed us out, or even glanced in our direction. Most places we go to always have a group of people that stare at us like we have some sort of plague." She said.

"Yeah. It's strange." Ruby said.

"I agree, it's quite weird." Pyrrha said.

"Maybe they have no qualms with us." Ryn said.

"MAYBE WE'RE INVISIBLE!?" Nora shouted. That turned a few heads towards the group. Ryn sighed a heavy sigh and messaged her temples with her hands. "Well... they're staring at us now... so." She grumbled quietly while trying to calm down her rowdy friend.

"I suggest we hurry up and find who we were sent here to find." Weiss said in an annoyed tone. Joanne coughed nervously.

"What exactly was our mission again? I know we were supposed to uh... find someone... but I don't remember who." Weiss groaned. She hated having to explain things multiple times to people when they decided not to pay attention to the debriefs received from either Goodwitch or Headmistress Olive. Luckily, she wouldn't have to do that this time, as Pyrrha Nikos readily stepped up to the plate to answer her teammate. "Headmistress Olive told us that we would be traveling here, to Low End, to find a man named Nathaniel Clyde Warschwick, who is reported to have information on the increasing number of Grimm in the outskirts of Vale. You need to pay attention more, Joanne." Pyrrha lightly scolded her friend, who sheepishly rubbed the back of her head in response. "Sorry Pyrrha..." She replied.

Weiss looks away from the two and towards her team's leader; Ruby Rose. The young girl lifted an eyebrow underneath Weiss's gaze. "Yes Weiss?' She inquired. "You do know what our mission is... Right?" Weiss asked. Ruby nodded.

"Yup. We have to find a guy—I forgot his name—and question him about the recent number of increasing Grimm around the outskirts of Vale. Apparently, he has information on the matter that would be particularly useful to us." Ruby stares at Weiss, hoping her answer was correction. To her relief it was, and Weiss smiled and nodded.

"At least our leader has some kind of sense. Joanne is really lacking in that department." She mumbles to herself.

After a few more minutes of walking, the eight huntresses find themselves in the area known by the locals of Low End as "The Hub". All around them, merriment ensued as men and even women happily drank from their large beer cups flowing with what seemed to be ale by its smell, lost in their own little worlds as they chatted with those around them. The layout of The Hub was simple yet complex, with the main pathway that lead to it splitting off into three different areas, one an area that was completely empty and sealed off by a large gate. Behind that gate stood a large wooden building resembling a farmhouse. It was covered in kudzu and seemed to have been abandoned for quite some time. The second area was a 'Weapon Zone'. Every town had one, and most of them usually consisted of a gun store and two shooting ranges. Occasionally there was a market or something of the like that sold armors and battle-ready clothing in these 'Weapon Zones', but here there was not one. The last area was where all the buzz was. Two large establishments, one with a bright neon sign on its roof that read 'Cowboy Joe's, which was obviously a restaurant, and a large bar where a plethora of people were gathered, enjoying their drinks with not a care in the world. The bar was named 'Igor's Pillar', a strange name indeed, but it carried weight around Vale as being on of, if not the best, coed bar around. Yang nudged Blake.

"Is this the place?" The brawler looked at the building. It seemed much too pristine to be a spot an information broker would work. Then again, she had met with a particular man who worked at a very renown bare within Vale itself who had ties to all sorts of criminals roaming around the expansive city. The building was red, and unlike the rest of the structures in Low End, it wasn't constructed of wood. Rather, it was made of an expensive looking marble type substance. It was visually striking, so much so that the whole area looked like a giant boobytrap.

"Yes. This is the place, Yang. There is no mistaking it. The red tile and marble, the flowing black curtains. It's the same place I went to all those years ago... Just let me do all the talking, okay?" Blake insisted. Weiss, Ruby, and Yang all nod at Blake's affirmation, as they all knew that she had the most experience in terms of less-than-legal activities. Team JNPR also readily agreed, mainly because they held a great trust in the members of team RWBY. They had all been together for a year, and they had all had their fair share of experience in hunting not only Grimm, but wanted criminals as well. Through trials and tribulations their bonds strengthened and formed something akin to a fellowship between the young females.

The group made their way into the Pillar, their eyes open for the guy they were looking for. The inside of the bar was just as festive as the outside, with red ribbons and lights painting the entirety of it in a crimson color. It helped the mood of the place seem more sensual than it probably was, with people sitting in booths hugging each other, kissing, and doing other things that Yang immediately shielded Ruby's eyes from.

"Guys... I think we may be a bit too young to be in here. Well... Ruby anyway. How about me and Yang stay in and you six wait outside? I feel like that would be easier." Blake said in a hushed tone. Yang immediately agreed.

"Yeah, that's smart. I don't want Ruby seeing all of this." She said. Ruby perked up. "Seeing all of what?" The young girl asked. Everyone in the group collectively sweat dropped. "I'll tell you when you get older. Weiss, take her out of this place and make sure she doesn't try to pull a fast one. Please." Weiss nods and grabs Ruby's hand, pulling her out of the building while ignoring her fervent protests. Once team JNPR, Weiss, and Ruby were gone, Yang and Blake went back to the mission at hand.

"So Blake. Do we have a description on this guy?" Yang asks as the two maneuvered around groups of people while making their way towards the main bar. The bow on Blake's head twitches. "The one thing I know about him is the fact that he has a black aviator jacket with white stripes on it. Other than that... nothing." Yang groans. She hated looking for people they didn't have a proper description of. Not only was it time consuming, but nine times out of ten they would mistake someone for their suspect multiple times. It was annoying.

"Alright then... fine. So now what. Are we going to look together or do you want me to start asking people for information?" Blake went wide eyed.

"HEAVENS NO. Yang, every time you 'ask' for information, we always ending getting in a fight. No. You will look for a guy wearing a black aviator jacket with white stripes on it, then, once you find said guy, you'll text or call me on my scroll. I on the other hand will ask around for information. Got it?" Blake left no room for arguments after she had finished speaking, as she gave Yang a hearty glare. The blond brawler sighed and nodded. "Alright, alright. I'll do what you say. But if someone picks a fight with me, I'm ending it." She grumbles. She then winces when she realizes that she forgot Blake was a faunus.

"Yang, you know it's illegal to start a fight with a man. Your hands are registered! Don't do anything that we all will regret! Now go, we don't have much time." And with that, Blake turns around and walks away, melting into the crowd and vanishing as if she had never existed. Yang lets out an irritated breath before turning around to begin her search. The blond girl, with a newfound eagle eye carefully surveys the crowd around her, observing them as they drank and talked. Some stood in groups while others sat alone, drinking away sorrow or simply enjoying themselves. Yang began to walk, and as she did, music began to play. It was strange music, the slow tempo that it started with slowly progressing, getting faster and faster. The beat sounded like drums going off at a slow rhythm while the tune around it shifted and digitalized until the sounds of a based filled electronic piano surged through the air, pulling on the hips of everyone in Igor's Pillar. The red light only served to heighten the mood as Yang saw people begin to get up and dance. And before she knew it she was surrounded by dancing folk. Yang shifted through them, watching them all as she continued to look for a specific person. There were so many walks of human and faunus around Yang. Some of them wore all black, others wore all red, or all leather clothes. But everyone had a specific style that seemed to only match the establishment they were in. Never before had Yang seen such a sight, and it upset and thrilled her at the same time.

"This is amazing!" Yang said while walking through people. She had been grinded on by four girls total so far. Usually this would have upset her but for some reason she was enjoying it. It was a combination of the heated air, the red glow from the lights, and the calm yet electrifying music being played overhead. The young huntress was tempted to take a little break from the mission and dance, but she knew that she would end up getting drunk if someone offered her some alcohol while she was doing so.

And then she saw it. Right in the center of the building. A large red pillar stood. No one was around it, even though it pulsed with such an attractive light. No one but one person. A man holding a bottle of what seemed to be beer. But that's not what caught Yang's eye. No. It was the fact that he was staring directly at her, and wore a black aviator jacket with three stripes going down both sleeves. But Yang couldn't see the rest of his face. It was shrouded in darkness because of his hair, which she couldn't tell the color of because of the red glow in the air. She stared at the man for a second before leaving the crowd and walking towards him. Once she was close enough, she saw the rest of his face. His features were rugged, and he had a thick beard. His eyes carried a lot of experience. He was a soldier.

"Are you Nathaniel Clyde Warschwick?" She asked. The man took a sip from the bottle he carried. It was in fact beer. Blue Barn. It was a popular brand among soldiers who had fought in the Great War.

"Depends. Do you know an old bird and his master?" The man asked. Yang lifted up an eyebrow. An old bird and his master? What did he mean by that?

"Look sir. I need to know if you are Nathaniel. I'm on important-"

"Huntress business I know. Answer the question." Yang fumed. Who did this guy think he was? Yang grit her teeth. "I don't have time for this." She said to him. He smiled. "If you didn't have the time for this, you wouldn't have been sent here. Now answer the question." He repeated. Yang let out a heavy sigh.

"I don't know the answer to that question."

"Bingo. Yeah. I'm Nathan. Don't call me Nathaniel. Makes me sound weak." Yang's jaw dropped. What was the point of that if all she had to say was that she didn't know?

"Olive told me that you would say that you didn't know. I knew your description miss Xiao Long. I wanted to mess with you a little bit. Come, follow me. Message your partners on your scroll. I believe we have a lot to speak about."

Ren sat by a flowing river, gazing upward as the sun set. It had been a calm day. It was strange, having a day where absolutely nothing happened. Ren was used to having something to do, whether it be work, cooking, or fighting for his life and the safety of those he cared for. But now he just sat, by a river, doing none of those things. For once in his life, he was bored. That wasn't something that happened very often, either. The boy let out a sigh and placed his chin on the knuckles of his right hand and then he leaned forward to stare into the flowing water in front of him. His reflection stared back. Ren closed his eyes and then opened them again. He was still there. That meant none of it was a dream. It was all a reality.

"Hey Ren, what are you doing?" Came the energetic voice of Jaune Arc. Ren turned to the boy and smiled. "Nothing much. Just sitting around. I'm bored too, by the way." He said. Jaune laughed. "Well I'm not." He replied, running towards his friend and stopping in front of him.

"Have you managed to find anything on your little 'recon' mission?" Ren inquired. He stood up and turned to face Jaune. The blonde boy nodded.

"I found an old cottage far west, where the river runs quickest." Jaune then pointed west. Ren looked in that direction and saw and endless expanse of trees on both sides of the river. The ground was dipping downward, though, which meant that the river would indeed pick up speed further west. Ren looked back at Jaune. "I hope you remember where it is." He stated. Jaune simply smiled and signaled for Ren to follow him. He obeyed the command and trailed after Jaune, who began to run along-side the river.

Through dips and over gaps the two ventured, making sure to avoid getting water on them, as that would have been horrible for the boys. They only had one pair of clothing each, the shirts on their backs and the pants on their legs. They ran, and ran, and ran, craving the embrace for adventure which unbeknownst to them, lay right on the horizon.

**-NEXT TIME-**

**In the wake of a new challenge, Team RWBY and their companions, Team JNPR, will learn of strange things by the hands of the mysterious and cunning Nathaniel Clyde Warschwick. Meanwhile, the unstoppable duo will find themselves a new home, and make discoveries of their own. All the while a question burns in the mind of the illusive Headmistress of Beacon; Is everything as simple as it seems?**

_**Tune in next week for the continuation of BAKU and The Wanderers Tome!**_

_**HS|2019**_


	2. A Step Towards Adventure

**BAKU:**

The Wanderer's Tome

Chapter 2: A Step Towards Adventure

Jaune and Ren rested their heads on the wooden floor of the ruined cabin that they had located. The excitement within them prevented the two from getting any real sleep, as they both let their imaginations run wild with the possibilities of what was to come. What new people would they meet along the way? Who would be their new friends, their new comrades in battle? But most importantly, who would be their new foes? The next evil villain that the two had to face, and against all odds overcome? These questions weighed on the minds of the young duo, as they wondered what would be the basis of their new adventure, if they were to go on another. Right now, there was breathing room, a time of relaxation and thought, something that was considered a luxury in the world they had found themselves trapped in before. Every moment was a battle for survival against beasts of immense size and power, and with every beast slain emerged a new one, bigger and more powerful than before. Both Jaune and Ren were considered to be hunters of great skill, and were often, despite their young age sent far and wide to tame and defeat the mighty beasts of the strange lands they had the pleasure of stepping foot upon.

It was strange for them to be back to a place where such huge beasts seemed nonexistent, and the greatest foes humanity and faunus had to face were themselves and the Grimm, which was a tad anticlimactic for the duo. But they took the lack of danger as a sign to rest, as well as to find themselves in the thralls of a new quest, one that should span the world of Remnant.

Jaune turns his head to Ren. "Uneventful night, eh?" He jokes. Ren smiles, but continues to stare at the ceiling.

"Very. I need something to aid me to rest, I suppose." He replies. Jaune laughs.

"A belly full of mead and sliced pork is a proven aid of a busy mind, my friend." Ren gives Jaune an incredulous look. "Do you see any mead or pork lying around? Last time I checked we ate all of our reserve food on our way here." Ren sighed in annoyance as he thought of his empty stomach. Jaune grimaced.

"I had completely forgotten about that, and now that you remind me, I can feel hunger pains setting in on my gut like a ravenous snake. Why do you forsake me, friend?" Ren laughs and returns his stare to the ceiling.

"Good night, Jaune."

Nathan sat in his comfy, yet worn leather chair, his feet propped up on the table as the students of Beacon Academy stood on in front of him, separated only by a simple table separating the man from the women in his wake. He reached towards the table, grabbing his half-finished bottle of beer. He brought the cold glass up to his lips and took a quick sip. The girls shifted around, uneasy at the man's quietness as he picked up the file Yang had given to him, going through its contents without speaking a word. He nodded and grumbled to himself every now and again, not making eye contact or even acknowledging the people in the same room with him.

For him, this was just another piece to an admittedly strange puzzle that never quite formed into a complete picture. He was used to the lack of information and stilted silence that came along with meetings of the same ilk. The girls, on the other hand, had little to no experience with dealing with the Headmistress' dirty laundry, so they stood around, akwardly staring at Nathan, waiting for answers that seemed to never arrive.

Blake, however, was the most alert out of the group, taking her time to examine the room she had found herself in. The walls were wooden, and there were no windows, leading the only light in the room to come from two lanterns sitting on a cupboard. A desk and chair were the only other things of note in the room, other than a door that lay just to the left of the man in front of her. All in all, it was a very unassuming room, but that's what made it so much odder to Blake, as the room seemed very lived in, despite their not being any indication of this being a bedroom. It was more like an office of some sort. A thought crossed her mind. This room was a base of operations, a rather small one, of course, but it was still a place where information seemed to be frequently brought and reviewed over. This man, Nathan, Yang had said his name was, had experience in what he was doing, specifically working with their headmistress. The question that she couldn't seem to answer in her head was why.

"So, why is it that Olivia sent us to find you? We were hoping that we could slay Grimm. Not anything like... this." Blake asks, gesturing to the room she and her friends stood in. Weiss and Yang both nodded in agreement.

"I have to agree with Blake here. This all seems a tad unnecessary, no offense to you sir." Pyrrha said, prompting Nathan to place down the file and look up at the girls.

"I'd like nothing more for you people to be outta my office and out protecting people, so I can't help but to agree... well... I _would_ agree, if this matter wasn't so pressing. You eight will split into teams of four, which you are already in, now that I think about it... anyway. You girls have a mission that may or may not involve Grimm, but definitely involves investigating a strange phenomenon that took place on the edge of the Ancient Forest." The mention of the forest raised a few eyebrows.

"Why would we need to go there?" Rin questioned.

"Yeah, usually Beacon students are warned to stay away from that place because of the old Grimm that have a reputation for killing even the best of Huntresses." Ruby says, feeling something off about the entire situation. Nathan simply shrugs and returns to looking through the file, shifting through each page of information given to him.

"I don't know, little lady. I'm just the guy that gathers and receives info. The brainy work. You eight are the brawn. I assume that Olivia trusts her best students to locate two people in a forest densely populated with ancient Grimm, hence the name. Or maybe I'm reading these very straightforward documents wrong, which I highly doubt." Nathan looked at the girls, an eyebrow raised as he leaned forward.

"Look, I don't know why your little headmaster has you specifically going along with this instead of able-bodied huntresses, but what I do know is that I'm now in the middle of this shitstorm, whether I want to be or not, and according to these—" Nathan holds up the file full of information that he had quickly looked though. "I am your boss for now... you are supposed to do what I say to the letter. And I say, you follow your orders and get going without complaining. Is that clear?"

Yang and Weiss look at each other, frustration clearly visible on the girls' faces. Blake takes the sudden shift to a more authoritative tone in stride, not being the slightest upset by being ordered around by a man. She was used to such a thing after all. Ruby was still lost, not understanding how anything that Nathan was saying had anything to do with the current situation, mainly due to a lack of information present on all fronts, and a hint of naiveite that she hadn't really gotten over yet.

Joanne simply sighed, understanding that sometimes things wouldn't always be explained in a clear, concise matter by the people that she and her friends worked under, as over the course of a few months it seemed as though Team JNPR and Team RWBY were being sent on a wild goose chase after a person, place, or thing that they had no knowledge of once so ever. She had brought up this point multiple times, and while she had been shrugged off at first, suspicions began to arise as to what their headmaster really wanted from them. The students of Beacon were in a very strange situation; there was a lack of Grimm to slay in a lot of areas. The threat had died down exponentially, and for some reason the Grimm seemed to stop attacking, and their numbers seemed to dwindle. It was a nice thing, but at the same time it rendered huntresses almost obsolete in certain areas, as there were so many of them.

How that played into what they were doing so far eluded both teams.

"Why should we listen to a man like you, anyway?" Weiss questioned, not wanting to take orders from a civilian, let alone a _male_ civilian. Nathan stared at her, then replied with a shrug.

"Your headmistress wants this little operation to be run by me. I think it's because I'm her little messenger in a lot of ways, along with some of her field associates, and because of my background as a Gunnery Sargeant for the Atlas First Regime. Regardless of if you like it or not, everything that is happening right now is happening for a reason, Miss Schnee. _Everything._" With those words being said, Nathan stands up and cracks his neck before walking over to the table a little way away from him. He gestures the girls to come over to him, to which they comply, though some do so begrudgingly. On the table is a worn map, one that seemed to be older than most maps publicly available. Certain areas had circles around them with circles scribbled about, dictating that there was some importance to them. Other areas had large black X's over them, and next to those were the words 'Null and Void'.

"Alright this area here, the Ancient Forest, has had some 'strange activity' according to the locals. This area is wide, and though it seems to be uninhabited by the things you've heard about it, there were some fuckers crazy enough to settle here. Now, your job is to survey the area for two boys, and to convince them to come to Beacon with you. That's it. It's a simple job, but it encompasses a large area. According to one of the associates that works underneath your dearly beloved overlord, this area here, the one circled, is where you will have to search. That's 50 or so miles of territory for you eight to cover. Splitting up in teams of two is advised, but you can do your own thing." Nathan explains. He points to both areas he talked about, being sure to right a few notes next to them.

"You should all take pictures of this map before heading back to Beacon to get your scrolls updated with the geographical information needed for you to not get lost in the expanse of the Forest. That's all the information I'm allowed to give you at the moment." Weiss stares at him. That stare slowly turns into an annoyed glare.

"That's it? That's all you're giving us? Why do we need to find these two boys? Why are they so important that Headmistress Olivia would want to meet them? WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE? WHY THE SECRECY? There are a lot of details that aren't adding up!" Weiss yells. Pyrrha looks over to her friend, and while she didn't agree with the raising of the voice, she couldn't deny that there was something wrong with the total darkness they found themselves engulfed in with this new mission they had been assigned.

"I have to agree with Weiss here. We don't really know anything in regards to what we are doing. While our last few assignments have been... lacking in information, they at least had set goal that was easy to understand and identifiable. This... this is just confusing and very broad in terms of scope and objective." Pyrrha looked at the man, who scratched his beard before sighing.

"That's how it always is in this field of work, unfortunately. Whether you like it or not, your boss, not me by the way, your REAL boss, has gotten you eight mixed up into some very sketchy shit, to say the least. I would love to yell at you all and bark out the specifics, but I'm bound by oath to keep confidentiality just that; confidential. So, you have to take it up with your higher-up to find out anything substantial. For now, though, you need to get the hell out of my office. I need to think about some things."

Morning came quickly for Jaune and Ren, quicker than they would have liked. Regardless of that fact, they both felt at ease, and well rested, despite the obvious fact that they had nowhere to go, and had rapidly ran out of food rations a day or so ago. Even with that being said, they both gave each other smiles, and got up to start the day off right. Jaune wandered out of the ruined cabin that he and Ren had used for room and board, making his way down the stream that they had followed to find the place to hunt for some sort of fish to eat, while Ren was busy checking the foundations of the husk of a house. He wanted to rebuild it, and shape it up to be a base of operations of sort, sparing no time being laisse faire, instead opting on finding a way to reinforce the place they would soon call home.

Ren and Jaune had discussed the details of their living conditions the day previous, trying to decide on whether or not they would be staying or leaving for greener pastures. They had both wanted to move on, but since they had no food and no reliable tools to help them progress and stay well rested and fed, the duo decided it would be best to gather materials before setting off on a long trek. There was also the issue with not knowing exactly where to go, and exactly what to do. A quest was something the boys thirsted for, but without finding any towns in their area to look for something to do, there was absolutely no way for them to find that adventure they thirsted for so much.

So here they were, on their way to find the next greatest thing to get involved with, building themselves from the ground up once more.

Ren nodded as he made a mental note of the measurements that he had observed of the wooden planks of the floor and logs used to build the walls. The cabin was only one square room, the rest had collapsed and looted years and years ago, leaving very little for Ren to work with. He knew that Jaune wasn't exactly someone who understood contracting work, but his comrade had some skill in gathering choice materials and utilizing them in creative ways, just not creative in terms of renovating an abandoned living accommodation. He wasn't exactly a homebody; he preferred to travel and sightsee. Settling down and sticking to one area was hard for him, unless he only used the specific place to sleep and eat before setting off on a long trek.

The black-haired boy looked up towards the ceiling. There were kudzu vines hanging from a large, gaping hole, and a bird's nest not too far above it. That was going to be a pain to fix, if he decided that he would need to fix it at all, and not just make something to cover it. Ren disregarded that thought, because other than being outstandingly lazy, it was a really bad idea. He might as well just put in the extra work if he was already planning on redecorating the interior of the cabin.

The soft sound of footsteps drew Ren's attention away from his thoughts of renovation and towards the door behind him. There stood Jaune holding three fish in his hands, all of them quite large, being at least a foot long. From the scale color and the fin shape, these were definitely catfish. A rumble filled the quiet of the cabin, causing Ren to place a hand on his stomach.

"I see someone is excited for this upcoming meal!" Jaune said with a boisterous tone, causing his friend to nervously chuckle.

"Excited isn't exactly the word I would use to describe one in a starved state, but whatever puts win in your sails, Jaune." He replied. Jaune laughs and gestures for Ren to follow him outside, where he then leads him to a make shift campfire and cooking spit, which was crafted using branches and stones. There was a flat slab of rock next to the spit, different berries, leaves, and even insects of top of it.

"I wanted to make sure we were both well sated, as trying to do any work when the body is lacking in sustenance is a nuisance and will not allow us to fully utilize our abilities to the best of our ability." The blonde explains, walking over to the rock slab, placing the fish on it and getting down on his knees, clasping his hands together as he prepared to whip up a hearty feast.

Ren simply watched as his comrade began to descale the catfish, carefully placing the removed scales next to him on the ground, not wanting to get them mixed in with the other food items on the stone slab. Ren knew Jaune planned on saving the scales for some sort of potion brew whenever they got access to a cauldron or Arcane Goblet, which left him wondering exactly what he was planning at the moment. Aside from being a skilled chef and a versatile warrior, Arc was well known for his planning and tactical abilities. He would come up with outlandish ideas on the fly that would somehow work out more often than not, even when he was in a life-threatening situation. His long-term planning skills were also of major notability, as his mind rotated around detail and careful analysis of what could help him and Ren in the long run.

The fish scales were definitely a sign of the seedlings of a plan being planted within the mind of the young lad.

"I'll be cooking up a storm for a while, my friend. It would be best for you to start to do a quick survey of the area, no?"

"It would be best, no doubt. I will get on it. I expect a mouth-watering meal to be prepared for the both of us by the time I get back. If not, I will beat you within an inch of your life." Jaune lets out a loud laugh, nearly doubling over. "We will see about that, friend! I know you jest, but the thought of a good old-fashioned spar sounds very appropriate after a fine meal!"

Ren chuckles before making his way towards the dense woods of the surrounding forest, starting off with a slow stroll before transitioning into a light jog, then finally into a fast sprint. He ran past large brush and trees, jumping over fallen branches of notable size and random dips in the ground, occasionally doing a flashy twirl in the air, enjoying the feeling of letting loose, something he and Jaune had decided not to do because of the aforementioned reason of the food shortage they both faced before Jaune had managed to scrounge up something for them both to eat. Now in anticipation for a hearty helping of fish, berries, herbs, and, strangely enough; insects, Ren let out his fervor in the way he always had; running wild in a dense forest, taking in the nature around him as he bolted through the massive amounts of greenery surrounding him.

Suddenly, the robe-clad boy turned his feet sideways, twisting his body as he propelled himself in the air, doing two full flips before his feet planted firmly onto the thick bark of a large wild oak. Using the momentum he had built up through his acrobatics, Ren launched from the tree into the overhead tree line, reaching for a large branch which he in turn grappled on to, twisting around on it, allowing his body to be completely controlled by the velocity he had picked up. This caused the boy to fly from the branch once his grip was released, sending him far above the cloud of trees that now lay beneath him. He was now practically floating above the forest, giving him a bird's eye view of the territory he and Jaune had found themselves in. Feeling himself falling back down to the ground below, Ren closed his eyes, allowing a soft magenta glow to emanate from his body as he focused on the forces of the wind around him, allowing his body to stay suspended in the area in a slow freefall, giving him more time to observe the area.

At first there seemed to be nothing of note, that was until he spotted a large Nevermore flying away from him towards a large metallic object flying in the sky. Ren focused his eyes on the obviously man-made thing floating around in the heavens, which was currently attacked by a Nevermore. Upon further inspection he recognized it to be a Bullhead; a mechanical aircraft with dual rudders and a tough outer casing that allowed it to withstand quite a beating before the craft eventually fell. Ren narrowed his eyes, wondering if he should go and investigate the craft and the Nevermore attacking it. On one hand, he could be saving lives, which was always a good thing, but on the other hand, fighting one Nevermore wasn't exactly the epitome of excitement.

Well, both options went straight out of the window, as the Nevermore was suddenly ripped apart by unknown projectiles, slowly falling down to the hard dirt and rock below as it dissolved into black mist. The people aboard the Bullhead were obviously prepared for the worst, if they could decimate a sizeable Grimm of that caliber within a few seconds. The crew aboard were either well-equipped soldiers or Huntresses. Whichever one they were, he thought it would be best to leave them be, as it seemed the Bullhead was traveling away from the forest rather than towards it. Ren allowed himself to fall back down towards the tree line of the dense wood below, but not before catching a glimpse of the aircraft in the distance seemingly turning towards him, quickly making its way towards him. While it was still a far distance from Ren, its sudden shift in course spooked the boy, causing the pink light around his body to immediately fade, and for his descent to increase in speed dramatically.

He twisted his body around, aligning his feet with a specific branch, the light that had faded so quickly coming back even brighter, as his speed was decreased in nearly an instant, and his landing went from lethal to completely safe just as quick. The sounds of an aircraft engine, though distant, became recognizable. Ren crouched on the branch and looked down, observing the ground beneath him, just in case a stray Beowolf had decided that it wanted to take up space in his landing zone. Finding that there was nothing but undergrowth and thick, purple, leafy vines hanging from the trees. With a sigh of disappointment, Ren hopped from tree to tree, branch to branch, going lower and lower until his feet were planted firmly on the ground, far away from the heavens.

"Strange. It seems like I may or may not have been seen..." Ren says to himself, scratching his chin as he stares upwards, his ears wary of the spinning blades of a Bullhead approaching. He was excited for people to talk to, but it had to be on his and Jaune's terms, and the opposite party had to be unaware of their abilities. It made talking much easier, as folks would be less likely to be fearful of the duo. While this wasn't a problem back where he and Jaune had arrived from, he had a feeling that it would matter here on Remnant, as things were different.

Through years of first-hand experience and observation, Ren had noticed that society never accepted abrupt change with open arms. There was always fear, there was always pushback. No one liked it when their worldview was all of a sudden flipped on its head, and there were more layers to existence than they had previously known of. It caused people to become untrustworthy and greedy as they tried to capitalize on said change, so they could reap its benefits to gain a head start, and possibly a monopoly, on whatever person, place or thing that caused the change to begin with. Either that, or people would try their hardest to destroy the change to prevent it from taking hold to protect old and familiar values. Though it is often preached that change is evolution, what is not preached is that evolution means the destruction of one thing to allow for another to flourish.

Ren and Jaune were not stupid. They knew what they were, and how they would be different than those of their ilk. They knew that the world was not ready for them to make themselves truly known, which is why they didn't try to run towards a major city, rather, they wanted to make their way towards small towns and villages so that they could help, then disappear. The only thing that would be left of them was rumors, and usually, rumors on the outside of the four kingdoms stayed outside the four kingdoms.

At the same time, however, there was no fear in the two boys. They would take whatever the world threw at them in stride, never faltering a step as they made their way towards adventure, towards a new beginning in a familiar place.

Taking off into a sprint, Ren knew he had to inform Jaune of the current happenings so that they both might prepare accordingly. He hadn't gone very far from the cabin, so he reached their little slice of land in a few minutes. There he saw his blonde-haired companion roasting fish over a sizeable fire with the cooking spit he had created earlier. The fish were an appropriate brownish-gold color from being cooked nearly to perfection. Hearing the footfalls of his fellow friend, Jaune glanced up from his work and smiled.

"Ah! You have made it back quite quickly, Ren. I assume you found something?" He inquired, taking notice to the thoughtful look that had found its way upon Ren's facial features. The boy in question nodded.

"Yes, I did. But I feel as though we should discuss this over the delightful smell of a freshly cooked meal."

"I believed they fell towards this area. I assume that the Nevermore that attempted to attack us must have been holding them, and they got themselves free somehow." Pyrrha said as she looked around at the tall and imposing trees of the Ancient Forest. Beside her stood Blake Belladonna, Weiss Schnee, and Ruby Rose.

After deciding how they would split up via a game of rock paper scissors and pull the straw, Team RWBY and JNPR were now weirdly rearranged for no apparent reason. The games hadn't been an idea brought up by most of both teams, just Nora, who everyone knew better than to ignore. So, here they were, Team... what would even be a good team name for such a mish-mash of huntresses-in-training? Pyrrha was straining her mind just thinking of a clever name to address her newfound search party by, unfortunately nothing came to mind, no matter how creative she got. Their names were literally incompatible. The only name that had been suggested was Recon Team NBRS, by Nora of course, and that was immediately rejected because it was a 'fairly retarded name', as Weiss had put it.

"They were floating in the air for a solid three minutes. I doubt they had even been seen by that Nevermore. If they had they would just fly away, right?" Ruby questioned, causing the Ice Princess beside her to facepalm and groan.

"Ruby, please stop making suggestions, I don't want you to hurt yourself."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Ruby pouted, to which Weiss replied to with a roll of the eyes.

While Ruby and Weiss got into their normal antics, Blake was busy observing the ground, looking for any signs of a person landing, whether it be broken branches, disheveled leaves and shrubbery, or blood. She was hoping the last option wouldn't be what she stumbled upon. Thankfully she didn't stumble upon such a thing. Instead, she found a pattern of broken branches leading eastward to what they had observed to be a clearing with a stream flowing next to it. They had saw it from a distance, though, so nothing of note other than that was observed.

"Girls. I just found something. Come over here." Blake said, raising her voice so that all three of her companions could hear her command.

"What did you find?" Pyrrha inquired. Blake gestured down towards the broken branches.

"Those are branches, Blake." Ruby said, disappointed at the find. Blake simply shook her head.

"No, these are signs of someone coming through here. Branches in forests such as these are never broken in such a way, usually they become brittle and fall from the tree line above to the ground below, which causes them to snap in half or into pieces when they finally land. Small branches like these wouldn't break from falling like that. And if you really get low to observe the ground..." Blake crouched and carefully moved a few excess branches out of the way, revealing the dense sea of leaves beneath them. The leaves showed a faint, but visible outline of what appeared to be a foot print, and judging by its size and the slight grooves in the print, it was obvious that these were made by a person.

"You can see that the leaves soaked up a bit of the force from whoever went this way, leaving a nice little foot print to follow. Judging by the way it's facing, the person ran East of this area, which means that's where we should start our search." Pyrrha, Weiss, and Ruby stared at Blake, their eyes wide. A blush formed across her face as she narrowed her eyes.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" She questions. Pyrrha laughed.

"Come on, Blake, it's not like you just saved us HOURS of work by simply looking at the ground for a few minutes. You are very observant." Blake nervously chuckles. "I try. Let's go please." She replies calmly, wanting the subject to be on something else, rather than her.

"I agree with Blake. We can scream praises later, right now we have a mission, and to be quite honest, I am really interested in where this will go. Based on the information we got from Headmistress Olivia today, this whole mission is shaping up to be quite worth all of the constant running around without any clue to what in the world we were actually supposed to be doing." Weiss states. Pyrrha hums in agreement. Blake gives her a look before shrugging and walking off.

"Yeah Weiss is right!" Ruby joins in. "This has been kinda fun and really cool so far. If we really do end up finding two magical guys that came out of nowhere like the Headmistress said we would, then I consider this to be a successful mission and a great team exercise!" Ruby yelled as she raised her hand towards the sky, adopting a dramatic pose. Blake and Pyrrha chuckle at the young girl's antics, while Weiss simply glares at her, hoping that some wayward deity would look down at this display in shame and evaporate them all instantly.

"Let's just go." Weiss mutters as she begins to follow Blake. Ruby gives Pyrrha a sad look, causing the spartan to pat her shoulder in pity as she too leaves Ruby sulking behind her to continue the mission.

"No one ever likes my jokes." She says, following after her friends, and Weiss.

The group of girls made their way through the Ancient Forest, stopping every now and then to make sure they were following the correct tracks, moving branches, checking ferns and other types of undergrowth for anything they could find, even going so far as to examine tree bark. Eventually, as the amount of leaves on the ground began to subside, so did the already faint footsteps left behind by their mystery target. Eventually the leaves on the ground were few and far between, and all that remained was tall grass and wild flowers. It was confusing for them at first, but the girls eventually realized that they were walking on a decline, albeit a very small and nearly unnoticeable one, which lead Ruby to make the assertion that if they keep going down the incline, then they would eventually find the clearing and narrow river they had spotted from the Bullhead when they first flew past this area.

"That's actually a good idea... Yes—that should work. If we can make it to that clearing then we will be able to look around a bit more, and set a checkpoint for ourselves. That should help us make more of an actual plan, maybe call the others and let them know that we should start there." Weiss suggested.

"That is a good idea. We did get visual on a floating person, and either we all imagined that or that Nevermore shot us with some kind of hallucinogenic drug while we weren't looking. Or it actually happened. I'm willing to place my bets on the last option." Blake chimed, placing her hands on her hips as her eyes combed over their surroundings once more.

"I was wondering if it would be a good idea to call in the others. I think it is." Pyrrha states. Ruby smiles.

"Well duh, of course it's a good idea! It isn't just our mission. The only reason we split up in the first place was to cover more ground."

The trek continued, their search lasting at least an hour before the sea of trees they had found themselves in even came close to ending. They were starting to get tired, and they felt as though they should call their bullhead and go back to their camp outside of the Ancient Forest so that they could rest for a bit, but hope rested on the horizon as Pyrrha spotted a stunning lack of trees towards the direction they had been walking in for a little over an hour. The clearing lay just a few feet in front of them. Steeling their nerves, the four ventured towards the clearing, leaving the mass of trees behind as they stepped foot into what appeared to be a field, and not just a simple clearing. Long-stemmed purple wild flowers coated what seemed to be the entire field, all of them swaying in unison in a massive ocean of pure beauty.

A small river separated one side of the field and the other, the glistening water welcoming them to a new frontier, a part of Remnant they had never seen before, and a part of Remnant that housed a secret that would set the world ablaze with curiosity and change. Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Pyrrha stood still in awe at the sight, never knowing such an area existed. They had all seen the beauty of Forever Falls, and while it was gorgeous, they had experienced it more than once, so the initial breathtaking visage that it had painted had shrunken considerably. But this, this was a new experience, one that would stay in their minds for quite a while afterward the events of the current day were all said and done.

"This is it, girls. We need to call Yang and the rest of the other group to... Oh my Oum. I think we may have found what we were looking for." Ruby pointed further down the clearing, towards to figures in the distance walking towards what seemed to be a ruined shack. Pyrrha gasps.

"That must be them! Lucky for us they seem to be traveling together. We should go talk to them." Weiss gives her an incredulous look.

"That is a horrid idea! The Headmistress already said that they may be dangerous because they have abilities similar to ours!" She says, her voice raising. Blake nods in agreement.

"We shouldn't just approach them without both teams. We may outnumber them, but its only by a two to one ratio. Better safe than sorry." The team all agreed, even though some felt as though it wasn't necessary to call in their other friends on the simple pretense of the two individuals they were tasked to find being extremely dangerous.

They waited for about thirty minutes for the Bullhead carrying their friends to arrive. Once they did the other four girls thanked the pilot, a quiet man wearing an oxygen mask. He gave them a thumbs up before pulling off and flying back to the campsite, where he would wait for them to call him and the other pilot back.

"So, you guys found them? Where are they?" Yang questioned, cracking her neck and looking around. Behind her stood Lie Rin, Nora Valkyrie, and Joanne Arc. They all seemed just as eager to meet the two boys that had gotten so much attention from the Headmistress and the rest of Beacon's staff members.

Pyrrha pointed towards the two figures in the distance, they looked as though they were chatting as they walked towards a ruined log cabin. Lie Rin let out a thoughtful sigh.

"I assume they must live there, in that cabin they are walking towards." She mentioned. Weiss crossed her arms.

"Who would ever want to live in _THAT_?" She questions. Pyrrha glares at her.

"People with nowhere else to go. Let's talk go and talk to them."

Jaune and Ren walked towards their new temporary home, their bellies full and their spirits officially lifted. After an hour of relaxation and rest, they both felt their minds and bodies fill with energy and a lust for progress and of course, adventure.

"A belly full of delicious food can fill any man! And lucky for us, we have fish, berries and sizzled beetles for days to come. We will feast like kings!" Ren laughed.

"Never change Jaune." He said between his mirth. This was interrupted by the sounds of voices and footsteps, which garnered the boys' attention. They both turned to see a group of girls, eight to be exact, staring at them.

Ren raised an eyebrow, and Jaune simply smiled before waving.

"Hello! Must you all be travelers?" Jaune questioned as he walked up to them.

The girls simply stared at him, then Ren, then him again, their faces betraying their emotions which consisted of disbelief and what seemed to be some sort of fluster. Jaune scratched his head in confusion before glancing back towards his friend. Ren simply shrugged.

Things had just gotten a lot stranger for the two boys from another world.

**-NEXT TIME- **

**The mission that they were set out to do seemingly completes itself as the members of Team RWBY and Team JNPR stare at the two that had caused them so much trouble, seeing them in person for the first time after an informative brief given by Headmistress Olivia herself the day before. But things will get more complicated as Jaune and Ren, the mysterious travelers from a place far beyond, have no idea what's in store for them. The minds of both parties run rampant with inquisitions, but one stood out the most. What happens now?**

_**Tune in next week for the continuation of BAKU and THE WANDERER'S TOME!**_

_**HS/19**_


	3. The Journey Begins

**BAKU:**

The Wanderer's Tome

Chapter 3: The Journey Begins

Team RWBY and Team JNPR hadn't ever thought of people, no, _males_, like the two boys before them to be a real occurrence. Sure, they had heard the legends of men of Old walking around and slaying Grimm like they were nothing in fairy tales, but they had all assumed these tales were made to boost the confidence of young boys and men, to make them feel more useful to the struggle against the forces of darkness than they actually were. To them, there was no possible way such men could ever exist yet here, right before them, stood two in the flesh. According to both boys, Jaune and Ren, they hail from strange lands and they had shown up to Remnant for unknown reasons. Claiming that they were out to find adventure, the two talked to the girls as if nothing they said was strange in the slightest. There was doubt in their minds; could these two really have aura? Could they be the stuff of legends told for centuries amongst men in bars, and even great authors of grand works? Maybe, maybe not. All that the eight girls knew was that there was a mission to complete, and their description matched the one that Headmistress Ozpin had given them.

"Our lands are far from here, a great distance away from any semblance of normality you dwellers of Remnant would have come to call familiar. Great beasts roam the fields of the Void, and Eldritch beings hang in the skies, their eyes piercing the flesh and soul. It is a gargantuan shift of reality to be here, in a world not filled with such things." Jaune spoke, turning his eyes to Ren, who simply nodded in agreement. "It is a welcome change, however. For once, we may rest." He added. The duo gave each other a knowing look, their eyes filled with a relieved mirth that the females before them couldn't quite understand.

"I don't really understand what you two are going on about, and to be frank, it doesn't really matter. Not now at least. We need to get you two back to Beacon with us." Ruby said, taking a step closer to the two, who instinctively took a few steps back. Yang placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder, preventing her from moving any closer.

"We don't know them, Rubes. They could be dangerous!" She scolded, causing Ruby to roll her eyes. "I know Yang, but its our mission to get them to come with us! I can't just act all scared in front of them, I need to be strong and convince them to come willingly." Her reply didn't surprise Yang in the slightest. In fact, she had expected something along those lines to come from the young girl's mouth.

"I have to agree with Ruby on this one, Yang. Apparently these two are very important. We have to do whatever we can to convince them to come with us, that's if they decide not to come willingly." Weiss interjected. Blake nodded in agreement to Weiss' statement, and so did the members of Team JNPR. Yang sighed in defeat, though she wasn't against the fact that Ruby was willingly to be a bit ballsy to accomplish the task at hand, she wished it wasn't a task as sensitive as this one. The blonde woman turned her gaze to the two boys in front of her and the rest of the group, her curiosity piqued. There was something off about the two, their faces and their clothing didn't match up with anything she had ever seen in her life. What was more interesting was the feeling she felt when looking at them; a strange fear and sense of awe washed over her, as if she were glancing at the face of some mighty being beyond her own comprehension. Their faces, their eyes, held secrets, dangerous ones, and she didn't like it. She hoped that she wasn't the only one who felt it.

Pyrrha suddenly walked up to the two, namely the blonde boy who called himself Jaune, staring at him intently. The boy shuffled away from her, discomforted by the gaze she held.

"Come with us. Its not safe for two men to be walking around without the aid of a huntress, especially not in a place as dangerous as this." The honey in her words did not fall upon deaf ears, Ren, being a Master of Words, picked up on the slightly manipulative tone the female had employed, hoping that through the prospect of danger, she would be able to convince the both of them to come with the group back to a place known as Beacon. Jaune, while intelligent in his own right, stood oblivious to such use of trickery, as he was not versed in the foul ways of the Word. Ren resisted frowning, instead deciding to be polite in his decline of such an invitation.

"Unfortunately, I will have to say no to the offer you purpose, not in malice, but in disinterest." Ren states. Jaune nods in agreement.

"I as well. We are in search of adventure, yes, alas, it is wrong for us to reveal ourselves to a world unprepared for such a thing." Ren nods in approval.

"Now if you will excuse us, ladies, we must be on our way. I do believe it is the perfect time for us to rest our weary bones for the day." Ren says, lying through his teeth. He and Jaune weren't planning to rest any time soon, not with adventure looming somewhere far off in the horizon.

"I'm sorry but you HAVE to come with us. Headmistress Olive wants to meet you both personally, and when she wants something done for the good of humanity, we give her what she wants." Weiss Schnee says, her obvious distaste at their denial bleeding into her voice. Pyrrha gives Weiss a strange look before turning to her teammates. Joanne, Nora, and Ryn seemed to be on edge, not knowing whether Team RWBY would do something drastic to complete the mission they had been assigned. She could feel the stress from the situation getting to them, and perhaps RWBY as well, something that would cloud their judgement given enough time. In light of this, Pyrrha decided that she needed to be the one to step up and try to settle things without causing conflict.

She wouldn't have to, however, as Joanne Arc stepped up to the plate first.

"Uhm, okay guys. We need to try a different approach. Let me see if I can handle this before Ruby and Weiss end up mucking this all up." With those words being said, Joanne positions herself next to Pyrrha, looking at their targets and mulling over what exactly could convince them to come. Her eyes made their way to Jaune, a strange but alluring young man who stood taller than any man she had ever seen in her life, including her father. He was taller than all of them by at least a foot, standing at what she assumed to be six foot or higher. He seemed to like he color blue, as that was the color of every article of clothing he wore. But what most interested her was his hair and his eyes. His hair was long and deep blonde, rivaling that of Yang's hair in terms of length, yet it was far less wild and much straighter. That combined with his deep red eyes made her feel drawn to him, for some reason.

She turned her attentive eyes to Ren, who, stunningly had the same name as Lie Ryn, her best friend and teammate. The two shared a stunningly similar visage, both seeming quiet and always thinking, they also donned similar themed clothing. Ren, however, seemed to have a regal stature much like that of Weiss Schnee, though it was much less pronounced and seemed steeped in wisdom rather than an aggravating (Yet admittedly sexy) prissiness. His eyes were dull and grey, almost as if they were lifeless, yet somehow, they seemed to hold more life than all of Remnant. Joanne tilted her head in thought. Obviously, they were against traveling with complete strangers and felt as though their presence would bring some sort of harm to society, so convincing the duo to the exact opposite of what they felt was right would prove to be difficult. Or would it? Joanne remembered Jaune saying how they were searching for adventure, and Joanne knew what that felt like; wanting to do something bigger than yourself, to experience something new, and help people along the way. Maybe she could use that to bring the two to some sort of agreement, ending the impasse that had been formed.

"Jaune, Ren?" Joanne said, her voice catching everyone's attention. The duo in question looked at her.

"Aye?" Jaune tilts his head, flicking some of his hair to the side.

"Yes?" Ren asks, a look of interest on his face.

"I know you two don't want to be in the spotlight or anything, but you said you wanted to find some sort of adventure, right?" Joanne questions.

"Of course! It's in our blood to seek a thrilling journey, filled with conflict, an impossible foe, and an answer to one more question of the universe waiting at the end of adversity." That answer, while strange, was one that Joanne was hoping for.

"Well, you two can probably get your fill of adventure at Beacon if you come with us! I'm pretty sure all Headmistress wants to do is try to get you to attend her academy." Ren brought a hand up to his chin, scratching it in thought. He _was_ incredibly bored searching around for something to do, and though Jaune made things bearable, he could tell that his close friend was feeling the pangs of boredom as well. But he still had his suspicions.

"If we agree to go with you all to this… Beacon, this academy, what exactly would we be doing? You say adventure awaits us, but you don't say how exactly you will… well, how your Headmistress will provide us with what we seek." Ruby smiles.

"Well, you'd get training like us, you'd go on missions like us and hunt Grimm. You'd be able to fight other huntresses to test your skills in combat, AND you get food and a place to sleep! It's like… the greatest deal ever. Like, ever. In the history of deals there has never been a better one." Ruby says, moving her arms in a way to exaggerate how good of a deal they could be getting, if Headmistress Olive even wanted to have them attend Beacon Academy and not lure them into a trap so she could capture and experiment on the poor lads.

Ruby hoped that wasn't the case.

Jaune and Ren looked at each other, then back to the girls, then back to each other. There were great points mentioned by the group before them, and it seemed like this could be their one ticket to finding something great to focus on, something that would give them the ultimate adventure. Here they were, two warriors from a world far beyond the reach of Remnant, talking to people who could offer them a chance of a lifetime, a chance that could bring them back to their glory days of fighting and reveling in victory after a long and arduous journey into infinity. Could this be the fate that they had sought after?

There was only one way to find out.

**-NEXT TIME- **

**After a short interaction with Teams RWBY and JNPR, Jaune Arc and Lie Ren are eager to find out what awaits them at the prestigious Beacon Academy, School for Huntresses. Was this the beginning to their greatest adventure? Could this be yet another thrilling tale of the Two Brothers Grim? Find out in the next chapter of **_**BAKU AND THE WANDERERS TOME!**_

**HS/19**

**Authors Note;**

**In all my years I've been yearning for something greater, yearning to go on a great adventure just like that of the characters I've created, and the stories I've written of characters created by others, such as Monty Oum. Now, I am beginning that adventure, and I've never felt so alive. Every one of my stories will be updated by the end of this year, including at least 2 more chapters for this tale as well. Though this chapter was disgustingly short, it is only the set up for what lies next for two characters that we all know and love. Although I have long since stopped watching RWBY and following its story, I will continue to create stories and marvels for its universe, and I will continue to write my own story in the background. I am a small-time author, insignificant in the sea of brilliance devised by those such as Stephen King and Lovecraft, but one day I will write something that I can be proud of, regardless of who reads it. 2019 has been a thrilling year, and I hope that the years to come will be just as amazing. So, I implore you to enjoy all of the adventures I have created; The hellish world of SCHADENFRUEDE, the twisted darkness of The Abyss, and the jazzy criminal underworld of The Blind Tiger Speakeasy… maybe you'll find yourself just as lost in the fantasies of fiction as I.**

_**With Love and of course, Bread;**_

_**Heart Sandwich - 2019**_


	4. A Meeting Of The Ages

**BAKU:**

The Wanderer's Tome

Chapter 4: A Meeting of the Ages

Jaune and Ren sat next to each other a grey metal contraption, which was flying through the air at alarming speeds. The duo stared out of the window of the aircraft, finding more interest in the rapidly changing scenery outside, finding it more interesting to see a blur of the world rather than the dull grey interior of the man-made mode of transportation. Across from them were Teams RWBY and JNPR, the eight girls of both teams very interested in the two, as they looked nothing like any male they had ever laid their eyes on.

"So... do you think these two are legit?" Joanne whispered to Pyrrha, who was sitting next to her. Pyrrha simply shrugged, her eyes never leaving Jaune, who paid little to no attention to anyone other than Ren.

"Well... Team RWBY claims that they saw the black-haired boy floating through the sky surrounded by some sort of purple aura, other than that though... there isn't any real proof... Oum he's cute!" Pyrrha says under her breath to Joanne, who raises an eyebrow in confusion.

"Ren?"

"No no... the blonde. He's REALLY cute... like... super attractive. I don't know why, but I like how he looks... a lot." Pyrrha said in a hushed, slightly embarrassed voice, which Blake Belladonna caught onto pretty quickly due to her natural gift of being a faunus.

Blake would be lying if she said that she wasn't extremely interested in the two boys sitting across from her and the other girls, both of which were currently busy in having a conversation amongst themselves. The duo had a strange aura about them that made her senses go haywire; she couldn't focus with the two of them around, they were the center of her attention. Though she hid it well, she couldn't get the feeling to actually go away, leaving her constantly dazed and confused, unsure of what exactly she wanted to do with this newfound obsession, or what it was caused by. Blake's cat ears twitched in frustration as she stared at the two, wondering what secrets hid behind their eyes.

From her experience, men with secrets were always the most dangerous. A haughty sigh brings Blake back to reality, if only for a moment.

"I can't believe we wasted so much time just for these two imbeciles! Look at them, over there laughing and playing around as if we aren't here! Such disrespect, don't they know we are training at the most prestigious huntress academy on Remnant?" Blake rolls her eyes, and Yang, who had been off in lala land picking dandelions, laughs. "Weiss, they didn't even know that Beacon existed, I highly doubt they know what a Huntress is. Don't worry though, they'll see how badass we are when we show them our team combo moves!" Yang flexes her arms in jest, causing Weiss to look away in disgust, Blake observing the interaction with little interest.

Jaune and Ren, who were clueless about the discussions being had in their wake, were going over plans between each other in case of contingency. This wasn't their first rodeo, so they weren't unaware of the danger of taking offers from those they didn't know, but there was always cause for concern. The people of Remnant were a strange bunch, not set to any higher governing law than that of their own. It was sad to see, but it had made sense considering Remnant's history. Being one versed in the Way of the Word, Ren generally comes up with questions, while Jaune, being a forward and tactical thinker, provides the answers.

"What do we do if they attempt to try more... surly things on us? For example; kidnapping, experimentation risks, becoming _breeders_ of all things. Though the last option is highly unlikely, it is by far the most worrying of all of our possible outcomes." Jaune shivers at the thought.

"Do you think that they would do such a thing brother? Surely the women of this world would not dare tread down such a dark path?" He questions. Ren sighs and turns his eyes towards the eight girls in front of them.

He had noticed their stares and not-so-subtle whisperings a while ago, he, being a polite man of class, would not stoop so low as to acknowledge that he was eavesdropping on whatever conversation they were having. It did not concern the two males, even though the chatter was most likely about them. They had one objective; find a grand adventure, face the impossible, and win. It was in their blood, their Pact, to do so after all. The dealings of the people that reside within Remnant played no part in this grand journey, in fact, associating with them, in Ren's mind, would only prove to be somewhat of a distraction. Turning his vision back to his comrade, a deep sigh escaped from his nostrils.

"I assume that they would not, but then again, how long has it been since we both stepped foot on the cursed ground of Remnant? A year? Two? Decades? Centuries? Remnant, admittedly, has changed far more than I'd like to admit, and we do not know everything about this new frontier we are faced with, regardless of if we used to live here." Jaune scratches his chin, losing himself in thought. If he were to be completely honest with himself, he didn't pay much attention to the changes that had occurred within Remnant during their extended absence, since he felt as if it didn't matter. It only served to add a new layer of intrigue in the world itself, but even then, Arc had his blood brother Lie Ren by his side, so why would anything else be important?

The only real issue that rested in his mind, one that was slowly eating away at his confident façade, was the lack of trust he felt in the inhabitants of Remnant. He could safely say he didn't trust this 'Headmistress' they were going to go and meet, nor did he trust the probes she had sent to find them. As Lie Ren had done, his eyes, filled with curiosity, turned to the eight humans of the opposite sex. They looked fairly normal, all of their personalities being somewhat archetypal. Then again, it could all be a ruse to make him and Ren more comfortable. It had the opposite effect, however, and only served to make them more cautious than anything.

"You are right, my friend. There are variables not yet understood by us. I believe there is no reward without risk, however, and even if this is some sort of infernal trap, we will be fine, as we always have been. Even on the brink of death, we shall always find a way, comrade." Ren smiles, nodding in response. Jaune had a way with words, one that even he, Lie Ren, Master of the Way of the Word, could not at all piece together. If only Jaune had taken that last step, and followed him into his studies... no, that wouldn't have ended well, and the Arc he would have gotten wouldn't be the Arc he had now.

Jaune stared out the window of the bullhead, noticing that the forested area they had been in had changed into a sprawling city, gigantic buildings made of some sort of metal standing tall, the civilians prancing throughout it looking as though they were nothing but specks of dust in a desert sea. It was strange, unnatural, but natural in its human and faunus beauty; the ultimate rebellion of mankind against nature itself.

"So... where are you two from?" The sudden input of a feminine voice drew Jaune away from the window, and towards their current acquaintances. "Who, us?" Jaune asks, not knowing who asked the question. The red headed girl, the one dressed in head to toe in sturdy-looking bronze armor, laughs, prompting Arc to lift an eye brow and give Ren a confused look. Ren simply shrugs his shoulders.

"Yes you. You don't seem to be like anyone I've seen in any of the kingdoms. Would you care to tell us where you are from? You as well, Ren." Jaune simply stares at the female, his face blank, not betraying the slow, but calculated thought process going on in the depths of his mind. There were secrets that could not be betrayed to anyone not of their particular Pact, so telling her any useful information was out of the question. Now, that didn't mean Jaune was about to lie, he disliked lying, even though he and Ren had to do just that to pull themselves out of many-a-scrape.

"We are from a place far from here. A strange place." Jaune says. The girl tilts her head, seemingly not enjoying the answer he gave. Ren, taking a note of this, quietly sighs before speaking.

"To all of you... we should be nothing but two wayward travelers on a quest, a noble one in fact. Our origins need not be known, neither our individual anecdotes pertaining to past events that occurred in our lives." With that, Ren says no more, instead going back to absentmindedly fumbling with his hands. Or so it seemed.

"Yeesh, someone isn't very much of a talker, huh?" Yang says, chuckling. Ruby smacks her shoulder and gives her a mean glare, while Weiss and Blake stare at the two intently. Pyrrha, Joanne, Lie Ryn, and Nora all seem to do the same. The two were obviously hiding something, and whatever it was wasn't a small trifle. Unbeknownst to them, however, the secrets held by both Jaune Arc and Lie Ren were dangerous enough to collapse the entirety of the world, and the fabric of reality itself.

The rest of the Bullhead ride was disturbingly quiet.

**XXXX**

Ren had seen many structures in his lifetime, all had been stunning and impressive in their own way, but he could safely say that he hadn't seen anything quite like Beacon Academy for a very long time. It had a Victorian-age flare to it on the outside, with its gorgeous arcs and intricate designs, but on the inside, it was more modern, everything a gorgeous shade of red and beige, a little white thrown in as well for good measure. Everything was surprisingly well-kempt, and _lived in, _a detail that had eluded Ren for quite a while. He and Jaune had been to a plethora of places, but for some odd reason, most of those places were filled with corpses, as they were generally trekking through dead worlds. To see such a place, filled with life and energy, was almost enough to bring a tear to the young man's eye. Almost. Ren turns his eyes to Jaune, who is currently being ogled by Pyrrha Nikos, the redhead in the Spartan themed armor, much to his personal dismay. The Master of Words wanted to intervene, but Arc seemed to be handling the attention just fine, not letting any of what the girl was saying to him get to his head.

"Hi! My name is Nora! You and Ryn have the same first and last name you know! It's weird but I like it! Hey do you like tea? Do you like to meditate too? You look like you do... oh you have a pink streak of hair too, just like Rynny! Aww that's soooo CUTE! You two are like twins! I-"

"NORA. Please stop bothering him. Not everybody is as patient as me." Lie Ryn says, flicking a bit of her hair out of her face, giving Ren a curious look as he stares at Nora, his face blank, his eyes expressionless. "It's quite alright, Nora is very intriguing to me. If you don't mind though, I'd like you to keep your voice down a bit. I like the quiet." Ren states. Nora smiles, nodding at Ren's statement.

"I'll be sure to be quieter Renny!" Ren frowns at his new nickname, not finding any particular enjoyment in it. Out of the corner of his eye, Ren sees his counterpart smiling, the cheeky thing.

"So... how do you two feel about being here?" The voice of Blake Belladonna draws the attention of both Jaune and Ren, who give her inquisitive stares. Joanne decides to also get in on the action, throwing a follow up question at the duo.

"Do you guys feel, like, uncomfortable or anything?"

"Yes." Jaune replies instantly.

"Absolutely." Ren retorts, raising an eyebrow. "As for Miss Belladonna's question, I believe our answer given to the Arc should be suitable enough."

"No need to be so cold, comrade! We must at least feign trust!" Jaune whispers to his companion, who narrows his eyes for a moment, silently agreeing.

"Very well, brother. I'll keep my dislike better hidden." Jaune nods in approval before silently turning his attention back to the girls, who had gone on to talk amongst themselves as they were lead to the headmistress's office.

During their short tour, the dynamic duo noticed that they had been receiving very unnerving stares from the student populous, some lustful, most confused, very few slightly angry at their presence. It was strange to be around so many eyes, and though Ren was a professional at keeping his facial features neutral, internally, he was having a mental breakdown. He didn't like eyes, those scary orbs, collecting information every second about him, bringing that information to the brain, and then the Mind Eye, telling the Old Ones where he was, letting them get into his head and scream. The voices, so many voices, all circling around him in a never ending carnival of horror. Ren had to constantly fight himself while walking through the pretty halls of Beacon Academy, making sure he didn't do his job... his old job, and make they eyes staring at him disappear.

It was an unfortunate side effect to the extensive studies he did as a Student of the Word; knowledge of things that shouldn't be known by the mortal mind. Visions plagued him constantly, and so did the persistent feeling of being watched. If Ren were completely honest with himself, he'd almost one hundred percent guarantee that he wouldn't be the same person he was if he hadn't met Jaune Arc all those years ago, the man that convinced him to change his wicked ways.

Speaking of the blonde haired wonder, Jaune was currently taking in the sights as the group walked passed classrooms and large windows that highlighted the beauty of the outside world; Beacon wasn't just a part of Vale, it was it's own separate entity. It existed on a giant cliff, a ways away from Vale itself, surrounded by water. The only reliable ways to get to the prestigious Academy were either by Bullhead, Airship, or one of the Seahounds, a new brand of machine Atlas had just created to ensure safer travel for civilians in an aquatic environment. Jaune had never seen one himself, but he had heard Weiss Schnee mention something about them using large amounts of Dust, whatever that was.

After walking what seemed like hours through the labyrinth that was Beacon, the group had finally managed to find what seemed to be an elevator door, which Ruby Rose called using the buttons on the flat metal fixtures on the side to do so. The buttons illuminated green, and the sound of what seemed to be a giant clock softly hummed through the immediate area, causing Jaune and Ren to go wide eyed; the sound was familiar, and not in a good way. A great sense of unease and dread filled the duo, their bodies tensing as the door opened, and they were forced (not really, they entered the elevator by their own free will, but not without some semblance of caution.) into the crowded elevator with eight women they did not know well.

The two boys shared a look, one that signaled that each should be ready for any sort of danger, no matter where it should arise, no matter what direction it came from. If there was an evil such as the one they once knew waiting for them up above in the cusps of the unknown, they would be aptly prepared. The doors drifted open slowly, revealing the office of Headmistress. The boys both went wide eyed, the office being strikingly similar to a place they had both tried their best to forget. Jaune turned a worried gaze over to his companion, who returned the look, a slight look of fear in his pale eyes.

"Ren, this place... its like the Clocktower... its almost the exact same... except.."

"The eyes aren't here." Ren finished, looking around the various turning gears, the large glass windows showing off the vastness of the academy and the shining sun in the sky. To the girls and the Headmistress, everything was as it should be, but to the boys, all they could see were flashbacks to a time of purple and green skies, and a creature of unfathomable horror named the Burnt King.

Deciding that now was not the time to revisit past memories however, the duo step out of the elevator, Team RWBY and JNPR following closely behind them. In the center of the office was a single desk underneath a series of gears that went to the top of the tower, which most likely connected with some clock-like mechanism the boys couldn't see. Sitting at the desk, eyes buried in a scroll, a cup of coffee in hand, would be the presumed Headmistress Olive. She was an older looing woman, yet despite her greying hair, she looked stunningly young. She currently wore what seemed to be a deep forest green dress coat, which had gold buttons and intricate gold designs around the shoulders, a lime green scarf wrapped snuggly around her neck and tucked into the front of the coat, and what looked to be a dark green dress skirt, or whatever the hell it was. Neither Jaune nor Ren knew anything about women's fashion, which was mainly due to the extreme isolation present in the lands they had previously tread.

Next to Ozpin was a tall woman, she had a piercing gaze unlike no other, her green eyes attempting to burn holes in the nonchalant visage the two males had, though, this didn't work. Her clothing choices were appropriate to how she looked as a person; blond hair done into a tight, neat looking bun, a curl of it hanging down the right side of her face, ovular glasses with black rimming, a white pleated top of sorts, the ends of it flaring into even more pleats towards the bottom of the waist and sleeves, a form fitting pencil skirt, brown stockings, and black high heels. Everything about the woman screamed 'serious', which was more laughable than off-putting to the two adventurers. The females of Teams RWBY and JNPR seemed to be effected much more by her gaze, seemingly actively avoiding it at all costs, and acting as if they themselves were in a professional environment. Which, granted, they were.

"Ahh, girls. You have returned. And I see you brought the two in question? Well done. I will make sure you all get high marks on your records for this. Now, I would have to kindly asked you to leave, I have important matters to discuss with the gentlemen before me." She says mysteriously. The girls don't seem to question this however, instead complying immediately with their Headmistress's demands. When they were gone, both Headmistress Olive and the woman next to her gave Jaune and Ren questioning looks.

"Headmistress, are you sure these two are the right ones?"

"I can feel their power, Glynda. Yes, they are definitely the men we sought to find..." Olive gestures to two chairs in front of her desk. "You two have been awfully quiet. Come and sit, that is, if you want to." Jaune and Ren gaze at the chairs offered to them, then back at each other. With a shrug, they both take their seats, staring attentively at the Headmistress of Beacon, and her Deputy.

Olive observes the two in front of her. Never in any of her lives had she scene men like them, and she had seen powerful, nearly godlike men, as well as the Twin Brothers, the old gods of Remnant. Even them, literal gods, did not radiate such... unnatural power. They were definitely strong, most likely stronger than they knew, and they had an eerie connection to the forces of Darkness that roamed the world. Their power seemed close to that of Salem, and that was both good and bad. It was good because she could level the playing field in this grand chess war, however, the downside is that if they aren't naturally good natured people, they may be tempted to turn a more evil leaf. Or maybe she was wrong about them, but she doubted that. Looking over the two, Olive begins to take in their features.

To her left, there was the blonde boy. He was, without a doubt, absolutely gorgeous. His hair was long, reaching down even further than Yang's hair, yet it was straight and well-kempt. His outfit was strange, as he seemed to have an affinity for the color blue. Blue sleeveless hoodie, blue trousers, blue boots, everything was blue. Olive pondered why he loved the color so much, and almost got lost in thinking about that until she noticed his eyes.

His eyes were terrifying. More so than Salem's eyes. They were a deep crimson, and they looked as if they were bleeding constantly, yet somehow the blood stayed in the iris. There was a subtle swirl in them, as if they were pulling her into a void, a pit of unimaginable things, things that would destroy the mortal mind. Yet somehow they appeared friendly, steeped in wisdom and kindness. The boys face was round, and unusually feminine, even though he was clearly male, his face seemed more attuned to the female side of things. The blonde was definitely an interesting character.

To Olive's right was the black-haired boy that reminded her of Lie Ryn, as they looked fairly similar and seemed to have a lot in common in terms of personality, though he was much more... wicked. She quickly glanced over his clothing, but was disappointed to find most of his attire was covered by a worn black robe that looked as if it had seen years of combat. With that in mind she turned her attention to his facial features. He was much more masculine, his jawline being strong, but not too strong as to where he would look like a grown man. No, his face was much more angular, and he too, just like his blond friend, appeared to be unnaturally attractive, something that would most likely get them in a lot of trouble when she convinced them to join her Academy. His eyes, however, brought unease, and a great sense of sorrow to her soul. They were pale, the irises no longer visible, as if he was blind, and when she looked hard enough, she could see scratches around them. They were self inflicted, Olive knew that. This boy tried to rip his own eyes out... but why? Finally, she noticed the striking similarity in hairstyle to Lie Ryn, except his hair was neatly swept backwards and meticulously combed. He also had that strange pinkish streak of hair... his was much more dull and greyish though.

"Well, before we begin... may I ask your names?"

"Ah! I thought you'd never ask... My name is Jaune Arc! Greatest friend in all the worlds." The blonde said, doing a little bow in his chair, much to Olive's amusement. Glynda didn't seem to like it much however. She raised an eyebrow at his name however... Arc? The Arcs had seven girls, no boys... unless... Olive's eyes widened ever so slightly. The gravity of the situation had become much, much more worrisome.

"My name is Lie Ren, Arc's comrade, and partner in adventuring." Olive and Glynda gave each other worried looks. There is something unnatural afoot, and they could both feel it. Olive turns her attention to Lie Ren and Jaune Arc.

"I am Headmistress Olive, this, is my Deputy, and faithful assistant, Glynda Goodwitch. She will be in charge of leading you to your room, which I have already set up. The room requires cleanup, as it is old, and away from the eyes of the students, but I am sure you two will have no problems fixing it up. If you choose to accept my offer, of course." Ren raises an eyebrow.

"Why are you so eager to have us here? We do not know you, nor do we know anyone here. It would be unwise for Jaune and I to just... accept this offer without any knowledge of why you wish to have us here." Olive adjusted her glasses and takes a sip of her coffee.

"It is for the greater good of mankind, emphasis on _man_. You two hold great power, and with you under our tutelage, we believe you can help Remnant greatly. There is also the issue of stronger Grimm emerging. While there are fewer than there have ever been in recorded history, there are reports of Category 5 Grimm appearing all over the outskirts of Vale. Category 5 Grimm are some of the most dangerous beasts known to human and faunuskind alike, easily ripping through 5 to 10 huntresses whenever they are dispatched to kill them. If you have as much skill as I think you two have... you will be of great aid to us all." Ren let Olive's words sink into his head. While the words seemed genuine, the Master of Words knew that there was something she was hiding, and that it would effect them greatly. Yet, he couldn't sense any malicious intent. Jaune was better at doing that however, so he turned to his comrade for guidance.

Jaune looked over to Ren, giving him a curt nod. Ren smirked. He had sensed adventure. The duo smiled.

"Well, your goals seem noble Headmistress, and though there are many-a-thing you are keeping in the dark, I believe we may find adventure at your establishment." Jaune Arc says, the wide, joyous smile on his face never faltering. Olive gave them both a questioning look, before smiling herself.

"Well then, it is settled. Welcome to Beacon Academy."

_In the darkness, the endless void of space, up in the little infinities of time, it stood, its mouths hungering for knowledge, for Egos of all sentient creatures. It was locked away... but by whom? It did not remember... the chasm groans, the sounds of its gurgling confusion hurling planets away from it, the very rock of the worlds seeming to tremble at its presence. What was it? It did not know... but it did know one thing... and that one thing, was 'I am'. _

_\- excerpt from the Gigas Infractus, The Opus Of The Mind Eye_

_**They have found it, the start of their great Journey! They are welcomed into Beacon with open arms by Headmistress Olive herself, and granted the ability to learn amongst the legendary Huntresses-in-Training, but there are secrets that weigh on both of their minds. What is in store for them next? What plans do the Keepers of the Library have for these two strange humans from another reality? Find out in the next chapter of BAKU: THE WANDERER'S TOME!**_

_**~HS/20**_


End file.
